Ask the SurgeonI have a deviated nasal septum that I have lived with all my life. What is the benefit to getting this repaired?

The nasal septum is the wall between the nostrils that separates the two nasal passages; it supports the nose and directs airflow. If your septum deviated, i.e., not straight, it can impair breathing and cause snoring. The surgery to correct the septum is called septoplasty. Discuss with your physician if you would be a good candidate for this procedure.

Health TipSmoking is not good for your health. Smokers have a risk for squamous cell carcinoma that is three times higher than nonsmokers’ risk. If you are considering a cosmetic or reconstructive procedure, your physician will ask you to quit smoking at least two weeks prior to surgery. Cigarette toxins reduce blood flow to facial tissues causing healing to take longer and the risk of infection greater. Even if you were not planning a surgical procedure, you would be better equipped to fight the aging process by quitting the habit. Smoking affects the blood supply to the skin, weakening it, and causing it to age more rapidly. As a result, smokers tend to have coarser, thicker facial skin that is more prone to wrinkling. Wrinkles around the eyes and vertical lines around the lips also are typically found in smokers.

Whats New Over tweezing of your eyebrows can lead to permanent hair loss and thin, unnatural looking brows. Now, an excellent procedure for hair restoration of the scalp, follicular unit transplant, is being applied to the eyebrows—brow restoration.

Many women have regrettably plucked their eyebrows to almost nothing. Techniques for adding more fullness have included using eye shadow or eyeliner pencil to draw in hair. Another option is micropigmentation, or permanent makeup. This requires injections of hypoallergenic pigments under the dermal layer of skin, creating a soft and natural shadow of color. If you are looking for a more natural appearance; however, brow restoration may be for you.

Similar to hair restoration of the scalp, brow restoration takes single hair grafts and places them at specific angles and directions of growth in order to mimic the natural eyebrow. It must be carefully planned and executed since the brow’s visibility is much more noticeable than the scalp. On average, between 200 to 250 hair grafts are implanted on one female brow, and 400 – 500 grafts on a male brow. The procedure may take between three to four hours. Unlike hair restoration, brow restoration usually is completed in one session; this is a great advantage for the patient. The new eyebrow will look very natural. Patients are reminded that they will have to trim the transplanted hair periodically, as it will continue to grow much as it would have on your scalp.